cultivation
Americannoun
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agriculture
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the planting, tending, improving, or harvesting of crops or plants
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the preparation of ground to promote their growth
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development, esp through education, training, etc
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culture or sophistication, esp social refinement
Usage
What does cultivation mean? Cultivation is the act of growing something or improving its growth, especially crops.Cultivation can also be used in a more figurative way to refer to the same kind of process, except that the thing being grown or improved is often an abstract thing, such as a business or a friendship.Cultivation is a noun form of the verb cultivate.The literal sense of cultivation is most often used in the context of agriculture, but it can also refer to things being grown in a laboratory. Its figurative sense can apply to the development of many different things, such as relationships, skills, and even cultures.Example: The rich soil in this region is ideal for the cultivation of a variety of crops.
Other Word Forms
- noncultivation noun
- overcultivation noun
- precultivation noun
- recultivation noun
- self-cultivation noun
- uncultivation noun
Etymology
Origin of cultivation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But cultivation really took off after 2021, thanks to media coverage.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
However, other than Revueltas’ fictional account, the story of the laborers, their movement’s successes and the astonishing cultivation of the desert lands had been lost to history — until now.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
This marks a break from the traditional practice of shifting cultivation, which involves clearing a new patch of forest each year -- fuelling conflicts in a region facing rapid population growth.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
As a result, the leftover flour is free from processing contaminants, aside from residues already present from agricultural sunflower cultivation.
From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026
Apart from the treatises on farming and the cultivation of various crops, there were rows and rows of histories.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
